Perfume – Patrick Süskind
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer – Patrick Süskind – 1985
Reviewed by: Steph Date: September 7th, 2016 
Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, our protagonist and his own villain, is born with a perfect sense of smell. This is the premise and direction this book takes, as it winds you through the mind of a plain-looking and invisible man in 17th century France. The book is divided into three parts, each helping you understand Grenouille a bit better, and either making you love or hate him even more. He isn’t necessarily a likeable character. He’s greedy, selfish, with visions of grandeur that eventually become his downfall; though I morbidly found myself hoping he’d fulfill his murderous goals. The book isn’t angry, though Grenouille harbours enough of it, it’s almost murder without malice. The ending had it’s own twist that felt… both perfect for Grenouille and a cop-out at the same time. It left me wanting more, and a bit nauseous by the last page. It was one of my more enjoyable reads and I wouldn’t hesitate to suggest it to anyone, though the ending earns it a 4 star review from me.
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